Exemplary embodiment of the invention relate to a method for operating a vehicle having at least one passenger protection mechanism, which is controlled in the event of a detected collision that is imminent for the vehicle or in the event of a detected collision, wherein a vehicle passenger sitting on a vehicle seat or a body part of the vehicle passenger is moved by the triggered passenger protection mechanism.
In particular, the passenger could be moved away from a collision side of the vehicle if preventative side cushions, for example air cushions, are activated in the vehicle seat in order to bring the vehicle passenger from the danger zone in advance of a side collision and to impress a pulse (PRE-SAFE pulse side).
German patent document DE 10 2010 052 412 A1 discloses a method and a device to protect a vehicle passenger in a vehicle seat of a vehicle, in particular of a passenger motor vehicle. According to the method at least one protective element, which is arranged on the vehicle seat and is able to be triggered to protect the vehicle passenger located on the vehicle seat, is triggered in the event of an initiating collision or in the event of a collision. When the protective element is triggered, a movement pulse acting on the vehicle passenger or at least one body part of the vehicle passenger is exerted, due to which the vehicle passenger or at least one body part of the vehicle passenger is moved away from a collision section of the vehicle that is colliding or will collide with the object. Here, an intensity of the movement pulse is varied depending on a determined accident severity and/or a determined accident type.
A method to operate a vehicle having at least one passenger protection mechanism provides that the passenger protection mechanism is controlled in the event of a detected collision that is imminent for the vehicle or in the event of a detected collision, wherein a vehicle passenger sitting on a vehicle seat or a body part of the vehicle passenger is moved away from a collision side of the vehicle by the triggered passenger protection mechanism. According to the invention, a reaction of a driver of the vehicle following the triggering of the passenger protection mechanism is monitored and, in the case of a steering movement implemented in an uncontrolled manner by the driver, resulting from an incorrect triggering of the passenger protection mechanism, at least one intervention correcting the lane is implemented automatically in such a way that the vehicle is guided back into its original lane.
By virtue of the method, a steering movement implemented in a quick and uncontrolled manner due to an incorrect triggering of the passenger protection mechanism in shock reaction will be corrected by the automatic intervention, whereby the safety for the driver as a passenger and further passengers of the vehicle as well as for further road users is substantially increased. Due to the automatic steering intervention correcting the lane, the risk of a collision, for example with a vehicle in oncoming traffic, can at least be reduced.
In one embodiment, an individual wheel braking and/or a steering intervention in a direction contrary to the steering movement implemented in an uncontrolled manner is or are implemented automatically as an intervention correcting the lane. The steering intervention implemented in an uncontrolled manner in shock reaction can thereby be counteracted in order to be able to substantially rule out a collision, for example with oncoming traffic.
In order to determine whether an incorrect triggering of the passenger protection mechanism is present, a reaction of the driver is preferably monitored from the point in time of the triggering of the passenger protection mechanism. Therefore, an intervention correcting the lane can be implemented comparatively close in time to a shock reaction of the driver of the vehicle.
In a further embodiment, a steering wheel angle, an angle speed of the vehicle and/or an angle acceleration of the vehicle is or are continuously detected as a reaction of the driver. Due to this detected value or these detected values, a skittish and therefore uncontrolled steering wheel movement, a so-called slamming of the steering wheel, can be detected.
Preferably, detected values of the steering wheel angle, the angle speed and/or the angle acceleration are compared with a respective, stored threshold value to determine a steering movement implemented in an uncontrolled manner. The threshold value comparison provides a comparatively simple and secure way to determine whether a steering movement of the driver implemented in an uncontrolled manner is present.
In one possible embodiment of the invention, the automatically initiated intervention correcting the lane is implemented depending on determined environment information. It can thereby be determined in an advantageous manner whether the automatic intervention must occur abruptly, i.e. comparatively quickly, or potentially not at all in order to at least reduce the risk of a collision, for example with oncoming traffic.
In one possible development of the method the automatically initiated intervention correcting the lane is implemented depending on a detected lane width. Using the determined lane width it can be determined whether and how quickly the steering intervention correcting the lane must be implemented in order to be able to at least predominantly rule out the risk of an undesired leaving of the driver's lane.
In a further possible development, the automatically initiated intervention correcting the lane is implemented automatically depending on a determined criticality of a driving situation caused by the steering movement implemented by the driver. In other words, a situation analysis is implemented, by means of which it is determined whether it is required to implement the steering intervention correcting the lane. For example, in the scope of the situation analysis it is detected whether a vehicle is oncoming to the vehicle or not and whether, correspondingly, automatic reaction must be initiated.
Parts corresponding to one another are provided with the same reference numerals in all figures.